The Official Female Carry Reference Thread

This is a discussion on The Official Female Carry Reference Thread within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; I am waiting for my CCDW to arrive and am excited yet full of questions concerning regular carry. I was just telling my husband this ...

I am waiting for my CCDW to arrive and am excited yet full of questions concerning regular carry. I was just telling my husband this week that I am envious that he has numerous friends to get ideas and suggestions from on the subject whereas I have none. Then he found this thread for me... Thank you so much for putting this on your site. So many web sites and products are marketed toward men and the "manly" figure. It will be extremely helpful to have a place for womanly carry suggestions. I really think more women would become more interested in carry if they could see how it could work their figure and their lifestyle.

I have a Sig Sauer P238 but do not have a holster yet. I am still trying to find out what would be the best IWB option for me. If anyone has a favorite brand for a 5'6'' and 125 pound frame I would love to hear.

SKW, I'm 5'5 and 125 so about the same size. I now carry a Springfield XD9 subcompact IWB in a crossbreed's super tuck. Found it on their seconds site at a good price. if you haven't checked out "packing pretty" I encourage you to do so, there's some great ideas there!

I also carry a Springfield XD9mm subcompact. My husband purchased me a Hybrid holster from Extreme Concealment and it is very comfortable. Here is the website and good luck in finding "Mr. Right" in holsters! Extreme Concealment Systems

I have a problem carrying on body....except for my Ruger LCP in my jeans pocket. I carry in my purse quite often.

I just found this thread and it is shaping up to be a great read. Hope for more participation.

My wife exhibits the same issues as you do, Spirit51. She's slightly built at 5'4" and 115 lbs. or so. She embraces concealed carry but isn't too keen about carrying on her person so it's the purse thing for her. She's wary and observant and chooses purses that allow her quick access to her handgun. It would go hard with an assailant who accosted her on a parking lot if she is aware of them. I'm concerned though with the possibility that she could be blindsided, even with her willingness to cautiously appraise her surroundings. Carrying the gun in a purse bugs me but she's going to do it her way.

We live in a small rural community with statistically low crime rates. She favors a J-Frame Smith & Wesson .38 Special most days. If she's going out of town, whether for shopping in larger cities nearby or traveling to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, then her favorite pistol, a full-sized Colt .45 automatic, is generally along for the ride.

It would seem to be prudent to dress around the holstered pistol of choice but my wife isn't willing to purchase a wardrobe that accomplishes that.

I'd like to view the link ColoradoLady provide on the "secure purse" but it won't open. A cursory look on Google didn't turn up anything.

I just found this thread and it is shaping up to be a great read. Hope for more participation.

My wife exhibits the same issues as you do, Spirit51. She's slightly built at 5'4" and 115 lbs. or so. She embraces concealed carry but isn't too keen about carrying on her person so it's the purse thing for her. She's wary and observant and chooses purses that allow her quick access to her handgun. It would go hard with an assailant who accosted her on a parking lot if she is aware of them. I'm concerned though with the possibility that she could be blindsided, even with her willingness to cautiously appraise her surroundings. Carrying the gun in a purse bugs me but she's going to do it her way.

We live in a small rural community with statistically low crime rates. She favors a J-Frame Smith & Wesson .38 Special most days. If she's going out of town, whether for shopping in larger cities nearby or traveling to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, then her favorite pistol, a full-sized Colt .45 automatic, is generally along for the ride.

It would seem to be prudent to dress around the holstered pistol of choice but my wife isn't willing to purchase a wardrobe that accomplishes that.

I'd like to view the link ColoradoLady provide on the "secure purse" but it won't open. A cursory look on Google didn't turn up anything.

A woman must not depend on protection by men. A woman must learn to protect herself.
Susan B. Anthony
A armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one has to back it up with his life.
Robert Heinlein

I carry a Sig P238 or P938 and usually in a belly band (appendix position) with outfits that won't accommodate a gun belt (which is most of them during the summer)!
When I can wear a gun belt, I prefer to carry IWB just behind my right hip. I like IWB holsters that ride low inside the belt, and are canted. I find these are easier to conceal and more comfortable for me. (5'5", about 130 lbs & hourglass figure).

I prefer not to carry in a purse but I understand why some do. If you haven't used and handled handguns very much, it's pretty intimidating to stick a loaded gun in your pants and leave it there all day!

To get past that, I went in stages. First I got extra professional training, plenty of range time, and plenty of practice cleaning and handling my gun with then without someone looking over my shoulder. When I started to CC, I carried it empty for a few days. Then I carried it loaded but with no round in the chamber for about a month, which is how long it took me to get really comfortable with on-body carry. Now I carry cocked and locked and don't think twice about it!

Most all of the sites I refer to have been listed (Lima - your video on carrying with an infant was extremely helpful to me, my husband found it before I even became a member of these forums - small world!) but there is one that I don't think was mentioned: girlsguidetoguns.com - it has some pretty interesting articles. I've found it to be helpful.

"The Second Amendment isn't about protecting ourselves against criminals. It's about all of us protecting ourselves from all of you." ---Dr. Suzanne Gratia Hupp to Congressman Charles Schumer (D-NY), 1994**

The following is a list of holsters specially-designed for women. Emphasis is on belt holsters, since the belly-band, flash-bang, purses, thigh holsters, etc have been addressed already. I’m sure there are more out there, so feel free to add your own.

I would just love a resolve to my conceal carry needs. i did just order the flashbang, i know some say it's gimicky but if it works, i am soooo happy. The problem is it doesn't some to fit my other guns. i wish they would carry the Betty for a CW9. :/ As to Lish,
does your crossbreed allow the wear of a typical women's cut T shirt thickness top? ( not men's weight). I know I have a Tagua leather IWB and it is just too bulky. I have a Nighthawk which I love the thinness to conceal but it doesn't hold my revolver well. The pin up girl series..like the Betty doesn't come in something for my cw9 or my snub Tarus 357. i have hit every youtube vid for women's conceal there is...any Ideas from the real world out there? Thank you. :)

Not Lish, but I have a crossbreed as well. I carry an LCP and wear thin girly Ts all the time. I wouldn't have in the first few months of carrying simply out of being so self-conscious, but now I wear it with regular khaki shorts and the super thin and fitted stretchy baby-doll tees (I'm talking the kind of material that you need to wear a camisole underneath). As long as I have a belt and/or tight enough jeans, I carry with absolutely zero reservations about what I'm wearing up top.

I WILL say, though, that this may be because I carry it so low. I moved the clips on both sides to the very top of the holster so that it would sit deeper in my waistband and the grip wouldn't stick up. If I wanted to have more grip access and/or cant to the way the holster rides, I may not have as much flexibility.

Welcome, by the way!! Good to see more ladies around here! Make sure to keep us updated

It's not a female specific design, but I've had a Remora for a few months and I think it offers a lot of versatility with different types of clothing, and it can also be used as a pocket or purse holster if you don't have a gun-specific purse (When I do this, which is seldom, my gun goes in its own separate compartment as well as in a holster)

I'm new to CC and am struggling with an on my body carrying option. I have a LCR .38 and want to use this as my carry gun. I don't wear belts (no, never) so belt holsters are out. I don't wear overly baggy clothes or two shirts (cami with an overshirt). I've tried OWB and that sticks out like a sore thumb on my body type. I'm 5'4" not rail thin but I'm not large either. I think IWB might be good for me but carrying on the side or in front was not comfortable. I think I would like to carry in the back waistband but the holster's I've tried were slanted the wrong way (I draw right handed) or maybe there is something I'm missing about how to carry along the back. The compression shorts intrigue me and I'm wondering if anyone has tried them, especially with a revolver. Also, I'm wondering if anyone has tried the Marylin bra holster with the LCR and what you thought. Any assistance will be appreciated.

I don't think I know of any women who can carry in front of their hip or front pocket. Guys pockets are so deep that when they sit, the gun is actually resting on their thigh... when your pocket's only 3 inches deep, you get a gun in your belly! Extremely uncomfortable.

As far as carrying in the back, there's a bit of a debate as to whether carrying in the small of your back is good for you. If you fall straight back for any reason you may be setting yourself up for a spine injury. When I say "back," I mean I carry at about 4:00, so behind my right hip. And if you're right handed, the grips of the gun should be toward your spine, with the barrel pointing forward toward your hip.

I thought that was backward and awkward at first, but think about the way you draw. If the gun were facing the other direction, you would grab it with your thumb pointed behind you and the back of your hand along your body. That seems like the more natural way to reach, but when you get the gun out and go to point it forward, you would have to "flag" yourself (have your own body in the line of fire) for the whole draw. With the barrel already pointing toward your right arm, the reach is a little more awkward (thumb between your body and the gun), but it's much safer.

Sorry if you understood that already and all the holsters you looked at really were left handed

I have not tried the compression shorts, but am looking at making myself a bellyband once I have access to my sewing machine again. As far as bra holsters go, attaching anything to my bra is absolutely not an option for me. There are women out there that like the FlashBang, but the gun is literally supposed to sit IN your cup and quite frankly I don't see how it would work unless your bra is already too big. My band would have to be at least two inches looser and 1)I need the support, and 2)even if I didn't, I wouldn't be buying a new set of bras that I could only wear with my holster I did try a Kangaroo Carry holster and, while it wouldn't work for me and my wardrobe, I know people like it and it wasn't uncomfortable, just bad placement for me. If you're looking at upper-body carry, I would give that one a try - if you don't like it you can send it back for a refund without questions, Austin Davis was extremely helpful and friendly.

Hope at least some of this was helpful - keep us updated with what you decide!